TV Viewing Down

The latest issue of the authoritative Cultural Trends Journal was published today. The independent report brings together quantitative and qualitative data to provide an overview of the nations cultural preferences.

The study challenges the idea that people only want news and culture in easily digestible sound-bites. The figures show that contrary to popular belief, the nation’s appetite for news, arts and culture has grown rather than diminished. The proportion of news and current affairs on BBC and ITV has actually increased. Only Channel 4 has broadcast a shrinking proportion.

Indeed, people are actually watching less television than they were in 1985; TV viewers watched an average of 27.1 hours a week in 1985, this has now fallen to 25.2 hours. This fall has been particularly marked among children and 25-34 year-olds.

Despite predictions to the contrary, book buying habits have been unaffected by the advent of new media and reading is as popular as ever. Both 15-24 and 35-54 year olds are now more likely to be regular borrowers from a public library than they were in 1991.

In addition, the nation’s museums are attracting more visitors that they did in 1985 and more people are going to the theatre, opera and ballet than in 1986, this figure excludes overseas tourists.

Sara Selwood, editor of Cultural Trends said: “People are interested in the quality of their leisure time and are finding more ways to spend it than sitting at home watching television.. This is particularly true of children and young people, whose interest in reading, film and museums has continued to grow, in spite of the popular view that they find such activities boring.”

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